Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review —The Darker Side

Expanding on the original story of Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree takes you into a mystery land shrouded in the… well, Shadow of the Erdtree. A new expansion and challenge for our Elden Lords, Shadow of the Erdtree provides exciting new content for even the highest level of Tarnished, bringing a wealth of new content to a game of already epic scope.

If you’re rushing to get into Shadow of the Erdtree, you’ll need to complete a few monumental tasks in the Elden Ring base game first.

You must defeat two Elden Ring bosses before you can access the DLC’s titular Shadowlands. The first is Starscourge Radahn, a boss and perhaps one of the most iconic bosses in the series. Many players have probably beaten this bad boy already or at least unlocked his location, but if not, you can get him by doing Ranni’s questline or activating any site of grace in Altus Plateau.

The second boss that must be defeated is Mohg, Lord of Blood, located at the end of Mohgwyn Palace, which can only be accessed once you are in the game’s later stages. Mohg is arguably the more important of the two bosses to defeat because after defeating him, you unlock the ability to traverse to the Shadowlands, as in doing so by interacting with the dangling arm hanging out of the cocoon in his boss room.

As with anything in Elden Ring, there are no level or gear requirements to enter the new expansion area. However, FromSoft recommends having a character at level 120-150, and my level 120 was certainly put to the test by even the most basic enemies in the location.

Something that has always stood out about Elden Ring is the game’s gorgeous visuals, with beautiful yet grim landscapes painted as far as the eye can see. I’d say that Shadow of the Erdtree takes this a step further, and the Shadow Lands might be my new favorite-looking area in the game. The world feels like a dark reflection of the lands between, with heavy shadows and deeper blues and blocks dotting the new grim environment.

Shadow of the Erdtree provides plenty of challenges for high-level players, as well as some new ways to progress.

In addition to leveling up traditionally, you can gather two new upgrade items in the Shadowlands to further enhance your character. The first is Scadutree Fragments, which increases both damage reduction and damage output, making you take less damage from enemies while hitting them harder. This bonus applies as a percentage on top of your base values, so no matter what your gear looks like you’ll be getting a significant boost from each Scadutree Fragment you collect.

The second is Revered Spirit Ashes, which operate the same way, but for your Spirit Ashes, it increases the damage done and reduces the damage received by your summons.

As powerful as these buffs may seem, they come with a catch: when you leave the Shadowlands, you lose the buffs from both your Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes. This makes these buffs a unique part of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC zone, serving as a special way to progress your character while exploring the new area.

While including these buffs was definitely to include a sense of progression for the highest level of character and to compensate for the area’s difficulty, I don’t know if I love that you lose the stats when leaving the zone. At the point at which you’re high enough to take on Shadow of the Erdtree, I feel like you should just be able to hang on to the buffs when you return home. I mean, you certainly earned them.

Though, really, this is probably done to balance PVP, and I would definitely hate it if an invader showed up with all of the Scadutree Fragments unlocked before I had the chance to even buy the DLC.

I’m not allowed to discuss any of Shadow of the Erdtree’s story in this review, but what I will say is that it is just as good and interesting as anything in the Elden Ring base game. The new NPC characters are charming, and the bosses are as thematically interesting as they are notoriously difficult to face in battle.

In addition to new bosses, Shadow of the Erdtree adds many items to improve your build both in and out of the Shadowlands. New weapons and armor kits can be found throughout the new map. Most notable of which, in my opinion, are eight new weapon types for players to experiment with: Beast Claws, Backhand Blades, Hand-to-Hand Arts (which come in the form of gloves, basically,) Perfume Bottles, a Throwing Blade (as a weapon, not as items,) Thrusting Shields, Light Greatswords, and my favorite, Great Katanas.

The DLC also includes new Crystal Tears for your Flask of Wondrous Physick, including the abilities to boost Spirit Summons and replenish health after killing enemies. These Crystal Tears are gained by killing Furnace Golems, new and challenging enemies that frankly give me the heebee jeebies every time I have to pass by one to access more of the map.

There isn’t much that can be said about Shadow of the Erdtree that hasn’t already been said about Elden Ring. This newest expansion for 2022’s Game of the Year is simply more of everything you loved in Elden Ring. Brought to a higher level with stronger enemies, more weapons, more tools for your arsenal, a new progression system, and a new story taking place in a land even more darkly beautiful than the one that came before it.

If you loved Elden Ring, you’re going to love Shadow of the Erdtree, and it’s going to be just as hard (or harder) for you to beat it.

Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.